Last month, Passenger made its final stop on a year-long ‘cupping tour’ that spanned multiple countries, industry events, and cafes, with the aim of featuring a unique collection of coffees from our producer partners in Burundi, called the ‘Many Hands Beautiful Hills’ tasting set. Despite having wrapped the tour for the collection, coffees from Burundi remain top of mind for us here at Passenger and continue to stand among our favorite coffees that we get to taste each year. This 2023 wet process lot, representing cherries collected by farmers from Bumba Hill in Kayanza province in Burundi, is another beautiful example of what Burundi coffees have to offer. Earlier this year, members of Passenger’s green buying team had the opportunity to once again visit the Ninga washing station where this coffee was processed. After touring Ninga station with Agathon, the legendary Ninga Station manager, and hearing the details of his processes there, it is clear that his exacting and methodical approach is a huge part of what makes the coffees processed at Ninga station sparkle the way that they do. More than just honoring the hard work of the farmers who deliver cherry to Ninga station, Agathon and his team of capable staff help create something truly special, and we are excited to be able to share it with this release.

Founded by an American couple who moved to Burundi in 2011, the Long Miles Coffee Project has earned a strong reputation throughout the international specialty industry as an innovative, farmer-driven producer of top quality Burundian coffees. Noting that coffee farmers in Burundi stood to benefit from improved access to the specialty market and that specialty roasters struggled to source traceable coffees of consistent quality in Burundi, Ben and Kristy Carlson perceived an opportunity to make a positive impact on both fronts. Following the construction of the first Long Miles washing station, Bukeye, in 2013, the team has opened two additional processing sites (Heza and Ninga) in more recent years. Each Long Miles washing station is strategically located in close proximity to thousands of rural coffee farmers who are members of distinct hill communities (the smallest geopolitical unit in Burundi is the colline or “hill”). During the harvest season, each microlot produced by the Long Miles team is kept separated and traceable to the specific hill where it was harvested. For example, all microlots processed at Ninga station are named after one of the three hills that deliver to the washing station during harvest: Bumba, Giku, and Ninga. This particular wet processed microlot is composed of coffee from the 2023 harvest on Bumba hill.

Passenger is proud to count the Long Miles Coffee Project, and the communities of Burundian coffee farmers that they work closely with, as one of six Foundational Partnerships that form the heart of our sourcing program. For each of these producer partnerships, our goal is the same: to buy as significant a volume as we can each year on an ongoing basis, intentionally prioritizing the purchase of a broad spectrum of available quality grades. Since 2018, Passenger’s primary menu offering from Burundi has been the Heza Foundational lot, named for the Long Miles washing station where the majority of our annual selections are processed. For those who enjoy this Reserve Lot selection, our Heza Foundational coffee offers a great option to continue to enjoy the unique flavors of this underrepresented origin all year round.